Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf w/ Ketchup Glaze

Looking for the perfect meatless meal? This Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf w/ Ketchup Glaze is hearty, healthy & full of flavor. It will keep the vegans & non-vegans at the table together.

Growing up, one of my favorite meals was meatloaf, potatoes & green beans. My mom would make this dish often and I would always look forward to it. It was the perfect comfort meal. I went crazy for that sweet & tangy ketchup glaze, too. I knew she was making it right away, because the house smelled wonderful! After going vegan, I really missed this dish, but when I really thought about it, it wasn’t the meat that was comforting my taste buds & senses back then…it was the texture, taste and aroma, I craved. Meat by itself, just smells & tastes gross…especially, when it’s raw. So a Meatless Loaf was in my future.

I made this Meatless Loaf with mushrooms to capture that “meaty” texture, and I used most of the same veggies, herbs & spices of a classic meatloaf recipe. You won’t be missing a thing!

Mushrooms will do the trick every time, and I use them often to replace the meat-like texture. These Lentil Mushroom Tacos are very popular with my non-vegan friends, and they look forward to taco night at our house.

To make this an extra hearty meal, I also added some cooked rice, rolled oats & mashed potatoes. Together, these ingredients add a nice bite-y texture and will make the loaf tender and moist. One piece will surely fill you up and leave your tummy happy. This meatless loaf won’t leave you feeling hungry or unfulfilled, because it’s hearty, satisfying and full of flavor.

Also, you will get a nice dose of protein, fiber, vitamins & minerals, too. This can easily be made into a gluten-free meal – I just used GF oats and bread crumbs. Sounds like a keeper to me.

Ok, let’s talk about that delicious ketchup glaze for a minute…

It’s made up of mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and of course, ketchup. Combined, these ingredients create a sweet, savory & tangy flavor. During the baking process, it gets bubbly, gooey and caramelized. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. It’s heavenly!

On top of all that goodness, this savory Meatless Loaf makes fabulous leftovers. You can side it with a tofu scramble, add it to a burrito, use it for a hearty pasta sauce, or make a classic sandwich with it. The options are endless. You can freeze this loaf up to 2-3 months or refrigerate for 4-6 days.

This pairs nicely with some sautéed green beans and buttery mashed potatoes. Since this recipe already contains potatoes, just make a little extra for serving on the side, too. If you don’t like green beans, you can use your favorite vegetable or maybe a big salad. You really can’t go wrong.

Also, this makes the perfect holiday loaf, so you can leave that Tofurkey at the store. That rubbery ball will have most meat eaters running for the hills and we don’t want that. This savory loaf, will really impress your guests…vegans and non-vegans alike. It’s a win-win situation.

So, are you ready to give this Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf a try? Let’s do this!

I’d love to hear from you

If you make this Meatless Loaf, I’d love to get your feedback. You can leave a comment below and let me know what you think. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.

5 from 2 votes

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Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf with Ketchup Glaze

Prep Time

20mins

Cook Time

25mins

Total Time

45mins

This Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf w/ Ketchup Glaze is hearty, healthy & full of flavor. It will keep the vegans & non-vegans at the table together.

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté onion & celery over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until onions are slightly browned and celery is softened.

Add the mushrooms & garlic and sauté until the mushrooms are tender, about 4-5 minutes Let mushrooms release their liquid and cook it down. *See note.

Transfer the cooked mixture into a large bowl. Add the mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs, flax eggs, arrowroot powder, rice, rolled oats, walnuts and mixture from the small bowl. Combine all ingredients really well. Give a quick taste, to see if it needs any more salt or pepper, add as needed.

Place mixture into your lined loaf pan. Press down firmly so it molds into pan. Brush top of loaf with the ketchup glaze (you might have some left over, save it to serve at the table).

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until heated through. If you would like to crisp the glaze a bit, turn broiler on for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn.

Let the loaf cool for about 10 minutes before trying to remove from pan. Use the paper to pull it up and onto your serving dish. Let sit for another 5-10 minutes before serving. This helps firm it up more.

Recipe Notes

*Cleaning Mushrooms: use a damp paper towel or a soft brush to clean each mushroom. Or, you can lightly rinse the mushrooms with water, but don't soak them. Pat dry when done. Mushrooms are like sponges and will absorb a lot of water.

*Sautéing Mushrooms: sometimes the mushrooms can produce too much water for this recipe. Use the largest pan you have and make sure it's nice and hot before adding the mushrooms to the celery & onion. You should hear a little sizzle. If they still produce water, you can drain the excess water out into your sink. Or, you can cook the mushrooms longer to reduce the liquid. If you decided to cook them longer, turn the heat up a little bit and cook uncovered. It should cook down in 5-6 minutes.

* If you only have whole flax seed, you can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder.

* Suggestion For Mashed Potatoes: Make extra and serve them along side of the meatless loaf. This meal also goes well with green beans, carrots or a big salad.

*Make the rice the night before and leave in the fridge. This will cut your prep time down.

*Worcestershire isn't typically vegan, but there are vegan versions to choose from. I purchase Annie's or Edward & Sons and there are others on the market. Make sure to read the labeling before purchase.

I’ve made a lot of veggie loaves in my time and I’m not a fan of them. I’ve always wanted to find that one recipe but I stopped making them after many disappointments. I almost didn’t pin your recipe because I thought – bleh, another dryish loaf with rice. Not sure why I decided to give this a go but I made it this eve and OMG!!! This was it! The veggie loaf that I’ve been waiting for! And the glaze? Well that’s like the icing on a cake. This loaf had so much flavor and it was super moist … perhaps a tad too moist as it was falling apart on me as I tried to serve it up, however, the remainder will go in the fridge and I’m sure tomorrow’s leftovers will be easier to slice. Was I supposed to get rid of the excess water from the cooked mushrooms? But anyway, this was amazing and I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s leftovers!! Of course mashed potatoes was served as one of the sides because you can’t have a loaf without the mash 🙂 This veggie loaf will be the ONLY loaf I make from now on. Thank you SO much for creating and sharing this – you’re a lifesaver 😉

Hi Trish, this is wonderful news! Thank you for making this recipe and giving me great feedback. I’m glad you mentioned the mushrooms producing too much liquid. Mushrooms are quite tricky sometimes. I carefully clean them and dry them without using much water at all. They can absorb a ton. Also, the larger the pan you have, the better. Mushrooms tend to steam, when they are crowded (this is sometimes hard to avoid because the recipe calls for so many mushrooms) I forgot to add in the recipe; to make sure the pan is nice and hot, before adding the mushrooms to the onion and the celery. It should sizzle a bit when adding them. Sometimes they will still produce liquid no matter what. You can either drain the excess water out into your sink, Or you can cook the mushrooms longer to reduce the liquid. If you decided to cook them longer, turn the heat up a little bit and cook uncovered. It should cook down in 5-6 minutes. When the loaf is done, I let it sit for 10 minutes after removing from the pan. It helps firm it up. I hope it works out better for you next time. I appreciate the feedback and I have updated my recipe to include these notes. Enjoy the leftovers 🙂

Hi Lynette, Worcestershire sauce isn’t typically vegan, but there are many vegan versions to choose from. I purchase Annie’s or Edward & Sons and there are more options on the market. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can purchase online. Just make sure to read the labeling before purchase.You can also omit the sauce all together, or just add a few dashes of soy sauce for depth.

[…] what you’re thinking: what are we going to serve instead of a turkey? I present to you this Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf from Melissa of Vegan Huggs! With that glaze, I don’t know how anyone can resist going back […]

This is so delicious! I’ve had similar experiences, as Trish mentioned earlier, about trying other loaf recipes and being disappointed. This recipe does not disappoint & I will be making this again & again. I had some mixture left over that didn’t all fit in the loaf pan so I used parchment muffin liners in muffin tins and made 3 mini loafs that turned out great! May do all individual savings next time and freeze a few. Thanks for such an awesome recipe! Cheers!

HI Gwen, thank you so much for your feedback. I’m so happy you liked the recipe. I love the idea of making individual mini loaves! I must try this! My son will love them that way. Thank you for the great tip 🙂

Hi there, thank you for stopping by. I’m sorry it didn’t hold up well for you. Sometimes the mushrooms can create too much moisture. I like to let it sit in the loaf pan for 10-15 minutes before serving. Also, leftovers form together great. Thank you for the tip on the wheat gluten. I’ll be sure to recommend it to anyone having the same issue. 🙂

I just pulled my leftovers from the freezer, defrosted and then fried two slices in an iron skillet with a little bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking and to give it a crispy edge. Even better the second time around. Thanks for the great recipe. I like really flavorful foods and this had a nice complex flavor to it. I did double up on some of the spices and added a pinch of cayenne to give it a bit more zing! Thanks again.

Hi Lisa, that’s a fantastic idea to fry the leftovers! I can’t believe I’ve never tried it. I will give it a go the next time around. Thank you for making it and your feedback. I think I’ll add the cayenne next time too. Have a great week 🙂

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Welcome to Vegan Huggs, a friendly and inspirational blog, about living a healthier and cruelty- free lifestyle. I hope I can encourage my readers, to eat more plant based foods and live a more natural and chemical free life.
-Melissa xoxo

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